Paramount Animation (feature animation department)
This article is about the main feature animation division of Paramount Pictures. For the animation studio that maintains both the Los Angeles and Burbank studios, see Paramount Animation. The feature animation department of Paramount Animation, formerly known as Paramount Animation Studios 'from 1967 to 1986 and '''Paramount Feature Animation '''from 1986 to 2006, is the in-house animation division of Paramount Pictures, founded July 27, 1967 by some of Paramount's former animation branch Famous Studios alumni, as well as some of the staff from Walt Disney Productions. Paramount also hires Amblin Entertainment former animation branch Amblimation alumni and Turner Entertainment former feature animation branch Turner Feature Animation alumni to work at its animation division in 1996, as old Paramount staffs passed on from their lives and retired. Based in Los Angeles, California, the studio has produced a total of 52 feature films within the Paramount Animated Features canon, from ''World of Wonderland (1970) to Nights into Dreams (2018). History In early 1967, Kenny & Kella Young Productions employees, George Burke and Lana Ponce, met with Paramount Pictures and its former parent Gulf and Western Industries to discuss the creation of a feature animation division, an offer which Burke and Ponce immediately accepted. Paramount Animation Studios was officially established on July 27, 1967, to produce theatrically released animated feature films to rival Disney's animated features. To build the talent base, Burke brought over artists from Kenny & Kella Young Productions, while Paramount brought over some of the staff from Walt Disney Productions. Some of Paramount Cartoon Studios' artists came to Paramount Feature Animation in fall 1967 after Paramount Cartoon Studios (it was formerly Famous Studios until 1956) was shut down by Gulf+Western and was merged into PAS. After the released of World of Wonderland in 1970, Paramount signed a co-production deal with Hanna-Barbera to co-produce and distribute Charlotte's Web ''(1973). In 1982, Paramount Animation Studios produced its last animated feature project with Hanna-Barbera which was ''Heidi's Song. During the same year, due to creative differences, Paramount end its partnership and left Hanna-Barbera, along with the rights to Charlotte's Web. In 1986, Paramount Animation Studios was renamed into '''Paramount Feature Animation. On July 7, 1994, Paramount Communications Inc. was sold to Viacom following the purchase of 50.1% of Paramount's shares for $9.75 billion. In the same year, Paramount made a partnership with DNA Productions on their computer-animated short film, starting with Busy Tools in 1996. Some of Amblimation and Turner Feature Animation's artists came to Paramount Feature Animation in 1996, when Amblimation's closure in 1997 after Natalia's Story was released, with the rest with DreamWorks, and Turner Feature Animation's last feature, Cats Don't Dance, was completed and the merger with Turner and Time Warner, with the rest doing so following the studio merged with its feature animation rival, Warner Bros. Feature Animation. Upon the unsuccessful release of Thieves and Kings, Paramount laid off most of the employees at the Feature Animation studio in Los Angeles, downsizing it to one unit and beginning plans to move into fully computer animated films. In 2003, Paramount partnered with visual effects company Reel FX Creative Studios to provide animation for computer-animated feature films, beginning with Vegetables ''in 2006. In 2006, Paramount renamed its Feature Animation unit from Paramount Feature Animation to '''Paramount Animation'. In August 2005, Paramount and Reel FX extended the deal for an additional five films. Paramount's partnership with Reel FX Creative Studios ended after the release of Game Mission, having Reel FX animated three out of five computer animated films. The announcement was made before the film's release, on June 23, 2008, citing "creative differences". Paramount then replaced Reel FX with Sony Pictures Imageworks, since Paramount and Sony formed a deal in 2007, starting with Virtual Journey. In July 2011, in the wake of critical and box office success of their animated features, Rango, heavy fan demand about bring back hand-drawn animation, and the departure of DreamWorks Animation upon completion of their distribution contract in 2012, Paramount Animation announced that it decided focus on both hand-drawn animation and CGI animation, starting with Pound Puppies in 2012. In October 2011, Paramount named a former president of Walt Disney Feature Animation, David Stainton, president of Paramount Animation. In February 2012, Stainton resigned for personal reasons, with Paramount Film Group's president, Adam Goodman, stepping in to directly oversee the studio. On May 2016, Paramount Pictures announced that they had signed a deal with UK-based Locksmith Animation to co-develop and co-produce a series of animated projects to be released under the Paramount Animation label (with animation produced by Double Negative). The following year, however, Paramount ended its deal with Locksmith when Paramount chairman and CEO Brad Grey was replaced by Jim Gianopulos, who decided that their projects did not fit in with Paramount’s other upcoming releases. Locksmith formed a multi-year production deal with 20th Century Fox four months later. In July 2017, Paramount Pictures named former DreamWorks Animation co-president Mireille Soria as the president of the studio. In April 2018, Paramount Pictures named former Blue Sky Studios and Nickelodeon Movies producer Ramsey Naito as the executive vice president of the studio. Projects The first of Paramount's animated features was World of Wonderland (1970). World of Wonderland ''received positive reviews from critics and was a success at the box office. ''World of Wonderland ''established Paramount as Disney's then-first major competitor in feature-film animation. Animation production for ''World of Wonderland ''was primarily done at the new Paramount feature animation studio, although much of the work was outsourced to animation studios around the world. ''Coming soon! Process Similar to JeremyWorks Studios, Warner Animation Group, and Sony Pictures Animation, Paramount Animation relies on other animation studios and VFX companies to provide the animation on their films, with the main studio only having about 10 employees working there. This includes Hanna-Barbera (Charlotte's Web, Heidi's Song), JeremyWorks Studios (Comedy TV), Nickelodeon Animation Studio (The SpongeBob Squarepants Movie, The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water, The SpongeBob Movie: It's a Wonderful Sponge), Reel FX Creative Studios (Vegetables, Twin, Duo, and Two, Game Mission) Sony Pictures Imageworks (Virtual Journey ''franchise, ''Red-Haired Flame, Puffy, Wayside, Royce & Meredith), Mr. X and Moving Picture Company (Monster Trucks), Mikros Image (Sherlock Gnomes, The SpongeBob Movie: It's a Wonderful Sponge), Hasbro Studios (Pound Puppies franchise, Untitled Hanazuki: Full of Treasures film) and Ilion Animation Studios (Wonder Park). Initially, since 1970, the studio used to produce traditionally hand-drawn animated films in-house. The studio is planning to push for more films that feature both animation and live-action, with The SpongeBob Movie: It's a Wonderful Sponge, Clifford the Big Red Dog and Monument Valley. Night into Dreams (JeremyWorks Studios) and Monster on the Hill (Reel FX Creative Studios) are created outside of Paramount Animation, although they will be released under the studio's label. Filmography Feature films Released films Upcoming films Films in development R Not produced, but released by Paramount Animation under its label S Combines live-action with animation Television specials Short films Theatrical shorts Direct-to-video short films Franchises Accolades Coming soon! Gallery Coming soon! Trivia * Paramount Animation is often described by fans as the Paramount counterpart of Walt Disney Animation Studios, DreamWorks Animation, Illumination and Warner Animation Group. * Unique for an animation studio, almost every one of Paramount Animation's feature films so far features a younger (human) protagonist (mostly a young boy or a teenage boy). See also * Paramount Animation * DreamWorks Animation * Nickelodeon Animation Studio Category:Company